Picture yourself entering a department store and, instead of wandering around searching for the correct department or product, you are guided by an expert personal concierge. The concierge is not a person, but rather a humanlike smartphone assistant. Whether you want to know "where are women's shoes located?" or "is this dress available in size six?" this concierge is always at hand to assist you. This is what retail shopping may be fast becoming, thanks to the mass proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies.

There will be a doubling in the number of 3D printers shipped this year, according to analysts. Gartner predicts 455,772 units will ship in 2016, compared to 219,168 in 2015, as firms use the technology to create prototypes, augment manufacturing processes and produce finished goods.

A hack at Sony Pictures that exposed more than 170,000 emails in 2014 derailed a much-hyped film's release and prompted a months-long industry freakout. A hacking incident at Yahoo now threatens to derail a sale to Verizon. WikiLeaks' releases of Democratic officials' hacked private emails are providing near-endless fodder for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. And yet, while large numbers of Americans appreciate the threat of getting hacked, they don't seem to be changing their behaviors in any appreciable way.